


Slayer and a Half

by TheRedshirtWhoLived



Series: The Hunter's Diary [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Female Friendship, High School, Male-Female Friendship, Original Character(s), Snark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 09:05:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9540854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedshirtWhoLived/pseuds/TheRedshirtWhoLived
Summary: Rachel Giles, a student at Sunnydale High, doesn't exactly have a bad life. She hangs out with her best friends Willow and Xander by day and hunts vampires with her uncle by night. But when the new girl in town turns out to be a Slayer and a vampire lord tries to bring about the end of the world? Well, Rachel's life just got a lot more interesting.





	1. Welcome to the Hellmouth: School

Hello, all!

This is the Redshirt who Lived, back online. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few months- real life ran me over with a semi truck and I've only just gotten back on my feet.

Anyway, welcome to my first foray into the work of Joss Whedon. I welcome reviews and constructive criticism, feedback- that sort of thing, I'm always looking to improve my writing. However, please, please don't flame- that old saying about sticks and stones? Absolutely not true.

Enjoy the story!

P.S.: I picture Rachel looking like Jaimie Alexander, except with a chin-length bob and a long, thin scar running along her jawbone.

Disclaimer: Joss is BOSS!

Episode 1, Welcome to the Hellmouth

Part 1: School

It was a bright sunny day at Sunnydale High School. The sky was that perfect cloudless California blue. Lush green plants lined the sidewalks, and the occasional palm tree provided shade. A terra-cotta tile path led from the street to the school, an attractive building with vaguely Spanish architecture. Benches lined the path, and students milled in front of the school, chatting amiably.

"'Scuse me, comin' through, pardon me, 'scuse me, whoa! 'Scuse me, not sure how to stop. Please move, whoa, 'scuse me…"

Rachel shouldered her bag as she turned around. She shook her head at what she saw- Xander Harris, one of her best friends, weaving through the crowd in front of the school on his skateboard. She loved Xander, she really did, but there were times when she wanted to toss that stupid skateboard of his off a cliff. Right after she'd borrowed it and showed him that she could skateboard way better than he, of course.

"Whoa." Xander's voice trailed off, and Rachel bit back a smirk. She'd been hanging with Xander since she was three, and she could tell that this was going to be epically funny.

Xander didn't disappoint. He completely zoned out, lost track of where he was going, and rolled right into the stair railing. The railing took him straight in the waist, knocking him on his posterior. Xander lay there, grunting in pain, while Rachel doubled over laughing. Once she'd gotten her breath back, she turned around to see who could distract Xander enough to make him crash into a railing. She hoped it wasn't Cordelia.

She saw a petite blonde girl in a dark red skirt and white T-shirt with a brown satchel slung over her shoulder looking apprehensively at the entrance to Sunnydale High School. Rachel didn't recognize her, so she was probably a new kid. Then Rachel chuckled wryly to herself. If she knew Xander Harris, he'd be all over the new girl like white on rice. He was like that.

Then, she noticed one of her other best friends, Willow, in the corner of her eye. Willow was a girl as slender as the tree that shared her name, with long red hair and open, friendly features. Rachel had known Willow just as long as she'd known Xander, and the smaller girl had become the little sister she'd never had. Willow walked up to Xander, stepping high to avoid tripping over his legs. Rachel sauntered towards them both, smirking.

Xander was pulling himself off the ground, wincing. "I'm okay. I feel good." Rachel rolled her eyes. Only Xander Harris would notice a pretty girl, collide with a stair railing, get the wind knocked out of him, and then announce that he was okay. Willow smiled down at him and tucked her hair behind her ear shyly. Rachel shook her head again. It was obvious that Willow was head-over-heels for Xander.

Just then, Xander caught sight of Willow and Rachel. "Willow! Rachel! You're so very much the people that I wanted to see!" He moved to get up, and Rachel grabbed his arm, pulling him upright. "Thanks, Rache."

Willow laughed at his antics. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. You know, I kinda had a problem with the math." Xander was always having a problem with the math.

Willow smiled. She was easily the smartest person in their little group, and always up for helping them with their homework. She was the reason Rachel was scraping a passing grade in French. "Uh, which part?"

Xander scowled contemplatively. "The math." Rachel chuckled.. "Can you help me out tonight, pleeeeease, be my study buddy?"

Willow pretended to think it over. "Well, what's in it for me?"

Xander fished in his pocket for a minute. "A shiny nickel!"

Willow nodded. "Okay. Do you have "Theories in Trig"? You should check it out."

Xander frowned. "Check it out?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "From the library, nimrod. Full of books? My uncle's sanctum sanctorum?"

Xander nodded. "Right, I'm there! See, I wanna change…"

Rachel looked at him skeptically. "When pigs fly, Harris. When pigs fly." They walked in to find Jesse, the fourth member of their quartet, waiting for him. Jesse was a tall boy still growing into his long features, with a mop of curly hair.

"Hey, hey!"

Xander grabbed Jesse's hand and clapped him on the back. "Hey, Jesse, what's what?"

It appeared Jesse has been struck by the same madness as Xander. "New girl!"

Xander nodded enthusiastically. "That's right, I saw her. Pretty much a hottie!"

Willow smiled tentatively. "I heard someone was transferring…"

Xander completely missed Willow's contribution to the conversation. "So tell!"

Jesse frowned- he wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. "Tell what?" Then again, he was good for laughs.

Xander nodded. "What's the sitch, what do ya know about her?"

Jesse repeated himself. "New girl!"

Xander scowled. "Well, you're certainly a font of nothing!"

Rachel snorted derisively. "Boys. I don't know how the human race will survive if all it takes is a pretty girl to reduce you two to a pair of drooling Neanderthals."

Willow and Jesse peeled off on their way to their own classes. Rachel and Xander continued on, chatting animatedly. They both had World History II first thing in the morning.

As they passed Principal Flutie's office, the pretty blonde from earlier came out and walked right into one of Cordelia's minions and her boyfriend. The blonde lost her grip on her bag and dropped it. It fell to the floor, spilling its contents. Blondie looked apologetically at the minion. "Oh! Sorry!"

The minion looked at Blondie condescendingly. "That's okay." By which Minion meant that it clearly wasn't. She and her boyfriend walked on, chattering away.

Blondie looked dejectedly at the mess. "Oh…"

Xander started tugging insistently on Rachel's arm. "Come on!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Oh, give me a break, Harris. We're going to be late for class!"

Xander kept tugging. "Please, Rachel? That girl is the hottest thing to enter Sunnydale since Cordelia Chase. You're my wingwoman! It is your duty as wingwoman to help me win this girl's heart!"

Rachel sighed as she jerked her arm out of Xander's grasp. "Why do I even let you talk me into these things, Harris?"

"Because you love me?" This little comment earned him a whack upside the head. "Ow!"

Rachel and Xander went over to Blondie and offered to help her gather her things. Xander attempted to make conversation. "Can I have you?" Rachel snickered. Blondie shot him a confused look. Xander looked embarrassed as he realized what he'd said. "Duh…" He chuckled sheepishly. "Can I help you?"

Blondie smiled, and Rachel shook her head. Blondie would have Xander drooling at her feet in no time. "Thanks."

Xander tried for articulate conversation, this time with a little more success. "I don't know you, do I?" Rachel nodded. He was making progress. He'd said a complete sentence with no grammatical errors.

Blondie smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Buffy. I'm new." Rachel took the proffered hand, noting that Buffy was much stronger than she looked. Even stronger than Rachel.

Xander was gibbering, so Rachel sighed and made her own introductions. "I'm Rachel. Cro-Magnon over there is Xander Harris, but he also answers to Nimrod."

Buffy smiled. "Um, thanks." They finished gathering up everything.

Xander tucked his hands in his pockets and nodded. "Well, uh, maybe I'll see you around… maybe at school… since we… both… go there." Classic. Simply classic.

Buffy nodded as she stood up. "Great! It was nice to meet you." She started down the hall, and Xander's eyes strayed to her butt. Rachel whacked him upside the head again. Pig.

Rachel smirked at Xander. "We both go to school. Very suave, Harris. Very not pathetic. You'll be charming Cordelia Chase next."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Shut up. Hey, what's that?" Rachel had noticed a wooden stake lying on the floor. The stake was about a foot long and slender. It was sharpened to a fine point on one end, kind of like a knife. She hadn't dropped one, so the stake could only belong to Buffy. Dear Lord. Could this girl be a Slayer?

Rachel grabbed the stake. "Hey! Buffy! You forgot your stake." Buffy didn't hear her and continued down the hall. Rachel turned around and began sprinting towards the library. Her uncle would definitely want to know about this new girl who carried weapons for killing vampires.


	2. Spooks

Rachel barely missed the first bell, sliding into her seat in history with seconds to spare. She noticed that she was right behind Buffy- and on a diagonal from Cordelia Chase, most popular girl at Sunnydale High and as far as Rachel was concerned, Public Enemy Number One.

The teacher wrote "The Black Death" on the board before turning to the class. "It's estimated that about 25 million people died in that one four-year span. But the fun part of the Black Plague is that it originated in Europe how?"

Rachel's hand shot skyward. She loved this part of the story. The teacher noticed her, and a hint of apprehension crossed her face. "Rachel?"

An evil grin crossed Rachel's features as she answered. "Technically, it's

called the bubonic plague, although in my opinion, septicemic and pneumonic plague were so much nastier. The Black Plague entered Europe as a result of the earliest recorded use of germ warfare. Quite the ingenious strategy, tossing rotting corpses into the enemy camp." The teacher looked a tad green around the gills. Then, Rachel shook her head as she noticed Buffy sharing a textbook with Cordelia. She was absolutely determined to save Buffy from minionhood.

40 minutes later, the bell rang and the students got up to leave. Cordelia extended her hand to Buffy. "Hi! I'm Cordelia." Rachel followed them at a discreet distance.

Buffy shook Cordelia's hand. "I'm Buffy."

Cordelia smiled winningly. "If you're looking for a textbook of your very own, there are probably a few in the library."

Buffy smiled in relief. "Oh, great, thanks." They walked out of the classroom. "Where would that be?"

Cordelia smiled. "I'll show you come on." Her tone brooked no disobedience. "So you're from Hemery, right? In LA?"

Buffy nodded, not seeing how that was relevant. "Uh, yeah."

Cordelia looked enviously at Buffy. "Oh, I would  _kill_ to live in LA. That close to that many shoes?" Rachel rolled her eyes in exasperation. Was it  _possible_ for a human being to be this shallow? She trailed Buffy and Cordelia down the hall.

Cordelia was busy being ridiculous. "Well, you'll be okay here. If you hang with me and mine, you'll be accepted in no time." And this was important  _how?_  "Of course, we do have to test your coolness factor. You're from LA, so you can skip the written, but let's see. Vamp nail polish?"

Buffy shrugged. "Uh, over?"

Cordelia's tone oozed contempt. "So over. James Spader?"

Buffy laughed. "He needs to call me!" Rachel had to agree with Buffy there- she'd absolutely loved the actor in  _Stargate._  
"Frappucinos?"

Buffy shrugged. "Trendy, but tasty." Rachel, who preferred tea to coffee, had no comment.

"John Tesh?"

"The Devil."

Cordelia smiled. "That was pretty much a gimme, but… you passed!"

Buffy grinned tentatively. "Oh, goody!"

The duo and their shadow turned towards a drinking fountain, and Rachel tensed as she saw Willow. Cordelia picked on Willow mercilessly, and Willow was absolutely terrified of her. Willow saw Cordelia and Buffy coming and straightened nervously. Rachel could practically predict what was about to happen as Cordelia strolled towards Willow predatorily, like a cat stalking a mouse.

Cordelia smirked patronizingly at Willow. "Willow! Nice dress! Good to know you've met the softer side of Sears." Cordelia teased Willow relentlessly about her normal ensemble of blouses and knee-length, shapeless jumpers. Today's was green-and-black plaid. Rachel's lips curled into a snarl. Cordelia had ten seconds to stop teasing Willow…

Willow smiled sheepishly, having completely missed Cordelia's sarcasm. "Uh, oh, well, my mom picked it out."

Cordelia nodded in mock understanding. "No wonder you're such a guy magnet." Okay, Cordelia's ass was  _hers._

She stepped up behind Cordelia. "Cordelia. Don't you have some boy to inflict your shallow, unintelligent self on?"

Cordelia turned to Rachel. "Well, excuse me. Did I ask for your opinion?"

Rachel pretended to think. "No. Do I particularly care? Nope."

Cordelia glared at Rachel, who glared right back. "Are you done?"

"Are you done annoying Willow?" Rachel grabbed Willow's hand and stalked off angrily, cursing Cordelia under her breath.

XXX

"Up next, Rachel versus her lunch." Rachel scowled at an unappetizing-looking ham and Swiss cheese sandwich positively swimming in mayonnaise. Ordinarily, she packed her own lunch, but she'd been up really late last night doing homework, so her uncle had packed her lunch. He wasn't a bad cook, but he could not make a sandwich if his life depended on it. He always forgot that she liked turkey, Parmesan, and ketchup on her sandwiches, and he overdid it with the condiments.

Willow smiled sympathetically. "You can have half of mine if you want, Rachel."

Rachel smiled and shook her head. "It's okay, Will-bear. I've eaten worse."

Just then, Buffy walked up. Rachel glanced at her coldly. Until Rachel was sure that Buffy had escaped minionhood, she'd keep her guard up.

"Uh, hi! Willow and Rachel, right?"

Willow looked like a startled bunny. "Why? I-I mean, hi! Uh, did you want us to move?"

Buffy smiled at Willow, and Rachel detected genuine goodwill in the smile and relaxed somewhat. "Why don't we start with "Hi, I'm Buffy," and, uh, then let's segue directly into me asking you for a favor." Buffy plopped herself down next to Willow. "It doesn't involve moving, but it does involve hanging out with me for a while."

Willow frowned hesitantly. "But aren't you hanging out with Cordelia?"

Buffy shrugged. "I can't do both?"

Willow shook her head. "Not legally." Rachel rolled her eyes. Who would want to hang out with that bitch in the first place?

Buffy breathed out exasperatedly. "Look. I really wanna get by here- new school- and… Cordelia's been really nice… to me… anyway, but, um, I kinda have this burning desire not to flunk all my classes, and I heard a rumor that Willow was the person to talk to if I wanted to get caught up."

Rachel decided Buffy might be a good sort as a huge smile broke across Willow's face. "Oh, I could  _totally_ help you out! Uh, if you have sixth period free we could meet in the library?"

Buffy shook her head shakily. "Or not. Or we could meet someplace quieter. Louder. Uh, that place just kinda gives me the wiggins." Rachel hid a smile- her uncle could have that effect on people.

Willow just nodded understandingly. "Oh, it has that effect on most kids. I love it, though, it's a great collection, and the librarian is really cool."

Cool? Her uncle Rupert would not know cool if it bit him in the ass. Rachel interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Of course, cool's a matter of taste. He used to be a curator at the British Museum. He knows just about everything about boring, obscure crap that nobody except museum curators actually cares about, but he does have a rather excellent collection of books you could use as a doorstop."

Xander and Jesse came up to the three girls around then. Xander hopped up on the wall behind Rachel and sat down. Jesse stood in front of them and dropped his bag. "Hey!"

Xander followed right on Jesse's heels. "You guys busy? Are we interrupting?" He tossed his bag to Jesse.

Rachel smirked. "Hey, Harris. And yeah, you're interrupting."

Buffy and Willow waved, and Jesse dropped Xander's bag next to his own as he leaned against the railing.

Rachel waved a hand at Jesse. "Buffy, you've already met Harris, so allow me to introduce you to Jesse McCarthy. He also answers to Nimrod."

Buffy laughed, and Xander proceeded to make himself look like an idiot. "Oh, me and Buffy go waay back, old friends, very close. Then there's that period of estrangement where I think we were both growing as people, but now here we are, like old times. I'm quite moved." He said this while nodding sagely.

Rachel cocked a pencil-thin eyebrow. "Is it just me, or are you turning into even more of a babbling idiot?"

Buffy shook her head at their antics. "Well, it's nice to meet you guys, I think."

Rachel rummaged in her satchel; looking for the stake Buffy had dropped earlier. This would be a good chance to test whether she'd been right about Buffy being a Slayer. "You dropped this earlier. I assume it's for self defense?"

Buffy looked spooked as she took the stake, looking at Rachel with a hint of apprehension in her eyes.

Xander smiled. "My bet is that you're building a really little fence."

Buffy laughed shakily, trying to brush off Rachel's insinuations. "Yeah, it's for self-defense. Everyone has them in LA. Pepper spray is just so passé." Actually Rachel thought pepper spray was quite useful, but she would keep that to herself.

Xander leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, grinning like a street urchin. "So, what do you do for fun, what do you like, what do you look for in a man, let's hear it."

Jesse leaned in on his other side, an identical grin on his face. "If you have any dark, painful secrets you'd like us to publish?"

Buffy laughed sarcastically, and a touch of irritation entered her voice. "Gee, everyone wants to know about me. How keen."

Xander shrugged apologetically. "Well, not much goes on in a one-Starbucks town like Sunnydale. You're pretty big news."

Buffy shook her head like she wanted them to drop the subject. "I'm not. Really."

Just then, Cordelia walked by, condescending as ever. "Are these guys bothering you?"

Rachel scowled at Cordelia. "No. But  _you're_ bothering  _me,_ so go away." Then she heaved an exasperated sigh and grimaced as Jesse hopped up next to Cordelia.

"Hey! Cordelia!" Honestly, what did Jesse  _see_ in her?

Cordelia brushed Jesse off. "Oh, please!" Then, she turned to Buffy with a fake-looking smile on her face "I don't mean to interrupt your downward mobility, but I just wanted to tell you that you won't be meeting Coach Foster, the woman with the chest hair, because gym was canceled due to the  _extreme_ dead guy in the locker?"

Buffy and Rachel responded at the same time, all humor leaving their faces and voices. This was serious. This was potential Slayer business.

Willow gasped in shock. "What are you talking about?" The redhead had absolutely no stomach for anything related to people getting hurt. She even had trouble dissecting worms in biology. Rachel put a comforting arm around Willow's shoulder.

Rachel knew that Cordelia wasn't bluffing when she answered Willow matter-of-factly, with no snark or sarcasm. "Some guy was stuffed in Aura's locker!"

Rachel was already scarfing down her sandwich, heedless of the taste, so that she could go investigate the stiff. She didn't fight well on an empty stomach. Buffy, meanwhile, was cross-examining Cordelia like a defense lawyer. "Dead."

Cordelia nodded, shock written on her too-perfect features. "Totally dead. Way dead."

Rachel piped up around a mouthful of sandwich, prompting a disgusted glance from Cordelia. "As opposed to mostly dead?" Okay, it was the wrong situation, but she absolutely  _loved_ The Princess Bride. She took every opportunity she could to quote it.

Xander jumped on her train of thought. "Or not just a little dead, then?"

Rachel knew Cordelia had recovered from the shock by the withering contempt in her reply. "Don't you have an elsewhere to be?"

Rachel glared at Cordelia, grey eyes narrowing. "Don't  _you?_ "

Jesse looked at Cordelia adoringly. It made Rachel sick. "Y'know, if you need a shoulder to cry on, or just to nibble on…"

Buffy's tone of voice was all-business. "How did he die?"

Cordelia glanced at Buffy. " _I_ don't know." Big surprise.

Buffy let Cordelia's general annoyingness wash over her. "Well, were there any marks?"

Cordelia curled her lip like she'd suddenly smelled cow manure. "Morbid much! I didn't ask!"

Rachel smirked up at her. "You know, you keep making that face, it might stay that way."

Cordelia just huffed and stomped off, and Rachel grinned evilly. She was so very good at getting the last word.

Buffy looked around at everyone uneasily, packing up her stuff and tucking the stake into her bag. "Um, I gotta book. I'll, I'll see you guys later." She left, walking towards the outer entrance of the gym.

Rachel also got up, grabbing her bag. "I'm off- Chernofsky wants to see me about systems of equations." There was slaying to be done.

When Rachel arrived at the gym, she noticed a giant hole in the door where the lock would have been. She smiled thinly- everything was pointing to Buffy being the trueborn Slayer, not an imitator like Rachel. The stake, the freaking out at the mention of Rachel's uncle, asking whether the stiff had any marks on him, and now the strength to break through wood- the signs were all there.

Rachel carefully pulled the door open, avoiding the sharp edges so she didn't get splinters. She  _hated_ getting splinters. She slid the stake out of her sleeve and crept into the locker room, sticking to the walls and trying to step silently. It wasn't very easy to do in heeled boots, but Rachel had had a lot of practice.

Then, she noticed a blonde girl crouching over the corpse, pulling back the sheet. This girl might be a vampire. Or she might be a paramedic checking on the corpse.

Ah, well. Better safe than sorry.

Rachel quickly edged towards the girl and stabbed at her back with her stake. The girl noticed, rolling over and snapping her legs out to kick Rachel in the stomach. Rachel went flying, then rolled and popped up into a fighting stance. The girl got up, and Rachel aimed a quick punch at her jaw. It hit home, and the stranger turned with the force of her blow, using the momentum to aim a snap kick at Rachel.

Rachel ducked under the sweeping leg, elbowing the girl in the stomach. As she doubled over, Rachel grabbed her and drove the stake towards her chest.

The girl grabbed Rachel's wrist and pressed her own stake to Rachel's chest, right below her heart. Rachel got a clear look at her opponent for the first time.

"Buffy. I might have known."

Buffy's eyes widened in recognition, and she stepped back, brushing herself off. "Rachel? What are you doing here!? Why do you have a stake?"

Rachel nodded, breathing hard- she hadn't realized just how hard a real Slayer could hit. "I'm here for the same reason you are- to investigate dead guy over there. And as for why I have a stake, I hunt vampires. Just a little hobby of mine. Sorry about attacking you, by the way. I didn't recognize you- I've got a slight tendency to slay first and ask questions later." She paused for a bit. "Oh, who are we kidding? You're the Slayer, I'm pretty sure I didn't even scratch you. I'm not sorry at all." She moved over to the stiff, pulling back the blanket so she could see his neck. They'd have to move fast- Rachel was surprised that the corpse hadn't been taken to the morgue already. She  _really_ didn't want to have to explain herself to the cops.

There were two tiny puncture marks there, along with the fainter outline of teeth. Rachel cursed- it looked like they had a vampire on their hands instead of a regular old dead person.

Buffy was shaking her head. "You're not the Slayer and you hunt vampires?"

Rachel nodded absently. "Yeah. Vampires killed my mom, so it just seemed like the thing to do. Plus, it's a great workout." She straightened up. "Did you see this guy's neck?"

Buffy nodded. "Come on. Back to the library, I guess." Rachel nodded, and the duo walked out.

XXX

The library was a very comfortable place, with double doors, a checkout desk to the left of the entrance, and an oval table surrounded by comfy wooden chairs with just the right amount of cushioning. A second floor curved around the table and chairs. Staircases at either end led to the upper level. Shiny oak railings surrounded the upper level, and the walls were lined with overflowing bookshelves. An aura of comfort and quiet pervaded the place, at least until Rachel and Buffy barged in.

Buffy noticed Rachel's uncle in the stacks. "Okay, what's the sitch?"

Rupert Giles, librarian, Watcher, and legal guardian/uncle to Rachel, turned around. "Sorry?"

Rachel plopped into a chair, putting her feet up on the table. Buffy crossed her arms insistently. There was a very subtle air of not happy about her. "You heard about the dead guy, right? The dead guy in the locker?"

Giles stepped into the light, adjusting his glasses. "Yes."

Buffy dropped her bag on the table next to Rachel's feet and headed up the stairs. Rachel tipped her head back to look at her uncle. "Yeah, Buffy and I were just in there. It's just the weirdest thing- he's got two pinholes in his neck, and there's no livor mortis. All the blood's been drained." Rachel also enjoyed Kathy Reichs novels.

Buffy cocked her head challengingly as she looked at Giles. "Isn't that bizarre? Aren't you just going, 'ooh'?"

Giles sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was afraid of this."

Buffy just blew up at him. "Well,  _I_ wasn't! It's my first day! I was afraid that I was gonna be behind in all my classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that I would have last month's hair. I didn't think there'd be vampires on campus. And I don't care." Rachel shot upright. Buffy was the Slayer, and she  _didn't care?_

Giles just looked at Buffy. "Then why are you here?"

Buffy stammered- she clearly hadn't expected that. "Rachel seems to be doing fine slaying vampires anyway. I'm here to tell you that… I don't care, which… I don't, and… have now told you, so… bye." She turned to leave.

Giles called after Buffy. "Is he, w-will he… rise again?" Her sweet uncle did not really know how to deal with a reluctant Slayer.

Buffy turned around to look at him. "Who?"

"The boy."

Buffy sighed- clearly, she wanted to be out of there. "No. He's just dead."

Giles leaned forward intently. "Can you be sure?"

Buffy rolled her eyes, and then began to explain. It sounded as if she was reciting something from rote. "To make you a vampire they have to suck your blood. And then you have to suck their blood. It's like a whole big sucking thing. Mostly they're just gonna kill you. Why am I still talking to you?" She turned and stomped down the stairs.

Giles moved over to the railing, yelling after Buffy. "You really have no idea what's going on, do you? You think it's coincidence, your being here? That boy was just the beginning."

Buffy threw up her hands and groaned. "Oh, why can't you people just leave me alone?"

Giles started coming down the stairs. "Because you are the Slayer. Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt-"

Buffy rolled her eyes, clearly more than a little peeved with Giles. "With the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil blah, blah, blah… I've heard it, okay?"  _Wow, this girl really didn't want to be a Slayer_.

Giles frowned. "I really don't understand this attitude. You, you've accepted your duty, you, you've slain vampires before…" Clearly, Giles' boss hadn't covered Convincing Reluctant Slayers in Watcher training.

Buffy glared ferociously at Giles. "Yeah, and I've both been there, and done that, and I'm moving on."

Giles walked towards his office, where he kept all his ongoing research. (It was a very cluttered office- you couldn't see the walls through the massive stacks of books littering the place.) "What do you know about this town?"

Rachel groaned. "She just got here, Giles. She doesn't live in the stacks like you do."

Buffy frowned. "It's two hours on the freeway from Neiman Marcus?"

Giles dug around in his office as he answered, so the walls muffled his voice. "Dig a bit in the history of this place. You'll find a, a steady stream of fairly odd occurrences. Now, I believe this whole area is a center of mystical energy-" he came out of the office carrying a stack of four old books- "that things gravitate towards it that-that, that you might not find elsewhere." He put the books on the table.

Buffy nodded, comprehension dawning. "Like vampires."

He began giving Buffy the books. "Like zombies," (he added a musty black book), "werewolves," (green volume several inches thick), "incubi," (brown with yellowed pages), "succubi," (another black book), "everything you've ever dreaded was under your bed, but told yourself couldn't be by the light of day. They're all real!"

Buffy looked apprehensively at the books. "What? You, like, sent away for the Time-Life series?"

Rachel nodded. "One of the dorkiest things he's ever done. We still have the calendar."

Buffy nodded, clearly itching for this encounter to be  _over._ "Cool! But, okay," she handed the books back to Giles, "first of all, I'm a Vampire Slayer. And secondly, I'm retired. Hey, I know! Why don't you kill 'em?"

"I-I'm a Watcher, I-I haven't the skill…" Giles blustered. That was a load of crap. He had taught Rachel everything she knew about slaying.

"Then what about Rachel? She's pretty good. Why can't she be the Slayer?"

Rachel shrugged. "I wasn't born to it. I have the skill and the smarts, I'm stronger than most girls my age, and somehow I'm really fast, but I'm not you. I don't have the memories. I can't recognize a vampire on sight. I'm not as strong or resilient as you."

Buffy scoffed. "Oh, come on, stake through the heart, a little sunlight… it's like falling off a log." Maybe it was easy for Slayers, but in Rachel's experience, vampire slaying was only easy with the really stupid ones.

Giles stammered again- he was so clearly out of his depth here. "A, a Slayer slays, a Watcher-"

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Watches?"

Giles nodded awkwardly, still holding the books. "Yes. No!" He put the books on the table next to Buffy's bag. "He, he trains her, he, he, he prepares her-"

Buffy cut across him. "Prepares me for what? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For having to spend all of my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go ahead! Prepare me." Despite herself, Rachel sympathized with her. Xander, Willow, and Jesse were the only friends Rachel had ever had. She knew they'd always stand by her, but she knew she'd have probably ended up like Buffy without them- alone and slightly bitter. As it was, it secretly burned Rachel every time she had to lie to them.

Buffy and Giles looked at each other for a moment. Then, Buffy exhaled sharply and turned. The door shut behind her with a bang.

Giles only had one word. "Damn!"

Rachel nodded. "I agree, Uncle. That could have gone a lot better. But, well, Buffy hasn't been slaying vampires since she was a little kid like I have. She probably had a completely normal life before she got called. And she's lost that. I think we'd better go after her." Giles nodded and got up. Uncle and niece exited into the hall.

"It's getting worse!" Giles sounded considerably freaked out.

Buffy glared at Giles angrily. If Giles wasn't careful, he'd probably wind up knocked out. " _What's_ getting worse?"

Giles guided the girls over to the wall and spoke in a low, serious voice. "The influx of the undead, the… supernatural occurrences, it's been building for years."

Rachel nodded. "When I was little, I'd have to slay vampires maybe once a month. Nowadays, I'm on patrol every night, usually staying up till midnight with homework. It's gotten to where I can't catch up to everything on my own- sometimes Uncle Giles has to go with me. There's a reason why you're here now, Buffy."

Buffy sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, clearly trying to regain control of her temper. "Because now is the time my mom moved here." She tried to evade them, but Rachel's arm shot out to stop her. Buffy looked down at the muscular limb. "You weren't kidding when you said you were fast."

Giles tried to regain Buffy's attention. "Something's coming, something, something… something is, is gonna happen here. Soon! OW!"

Rachel had stepped on his foot. "Way to be specific, Rupert." She only used his first name when she was annoyed with him.

Giles sighed. " _Please_ don't call me that. The signs, as far as I can tell, point to a crucial mystical upheaval, very soon. Days. Possibly less." Rachel rolled her eyes. She hadn't really understood what Giles meant by signs. There had been a lot of trawling through every single newspaper in existence, and then there had been all those obscure calendars…

Buffy just looked skeptical. "Oh, come on! This is Sunnydale! How bad an evil can there be here? And are you two related or something?"

Rachel smiled grimly. "Yeah, he's my uncle and legal guardian, I've lived with him since I was two. And as for how bad it can be here? You'd be surprised."


	3. Welcome to the Hellmouth: Part III: Slaying

Rachel had planned to go on patrol that night. She actually enjoyed patrolling- the fresh air, the adrenaline rush of slaying vampires. It also gave her time to think.

She  _hadn't_ planned on running into Jesse and Willow on their way to the Bronze. The Bronze was precisely what Rachel  _didn't_ normally like. Loud music, smelly people, crowds, horrible lighting. But somehow, the trio had somehow persuaded her to come along, and Rachel was sulking next to Willow at the bar, nursing a hot chocolate.

She noticed Buffy walking in, having exchanged her skirt for black pants and thrown on a blue jacket. Rachel waved at her, and Buffy startled, and then made her way over to Rachel and Willow. "Hey!"

Willow jumped slightly. "Oh, hi!" Buffy sat on the stool next to Willow, and Rachel went to sit next to Buffy.

Rachel nodded. "Hiya, Buffy. Didn't think this hive of scum and villainy would be your cup of tea, but to each her own."

Buffy ordered some water. "Are you guys here with someone?"

Willow shook her head, reminding Rachel of a startled ginger bunny rabbit. "No, I'm just here. I thought Xander was gonna show up."

Buffy looked at Willow curiously. "Oh, are you guys going out? Or is he dating Rachel?"

Willow smiled. "Most of the boys at school, Xander included, are at least a little bit terrified of Rachel after she beat up the star linebacker. And Xander and I are just friends. We used to go out, but we broke up." They'd gone out, if you could call holding hands and skipping on the playground going out.

Buffy looked at Willow compassionately, and Rachel's respect for Buffy went up a notch. If she was being genuinely nice to Willow, then Rachel was willing to like her. "How come?"

Even after eleven years, Willow's voice still carried a hint of indignation. "He stole my Barbie." Buffy looked at Willow, frowning. Willow quickly explained. "Oh, we were five."

Buffy nodded. "Oh."

Willow looked around furtively, and then blushed slightly. "I-I-I don't actually date a whole lot… lately. Neither does Rachel." If it had been anyone else, the latter sentence would have annoyed Rachel, but this was Willow, so Rachel decided to let it be. Her permanent singledom didn't really bother her anyway. The boys at Sunnydale High were complete nincompoops.

Buffy cocked her head attentively. "Why not?"

Willow's blush deepened. "Well, when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool, or, or witty, or at all. I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away. And Rachel just plain scares them." Rachel could testify to this- since she never showed interest in dating, she often got drafted as wingwoman to Willow, Jesse, or Xander.

Buffy shook her head skeptically. "It's not  _that_ bad!"

Willow nodded earnestly, her big eyes wide. "No, i-it is. I think boys are more interested in a girl who can talk. Or one who doesn't fight like Sydney Bristow."

Buffy grimaced sympathetically. "You two really  _haven't_ been dating lately."

Rachel shrugged. "Doesn't really bother me- most of the boys here are pretty cringe-worthy."

Willow, meanwhile was looking at Buffy enviously. "It's probably really easy for you."

Buffy laughed humorlessly- evidently this was a sore subject for her. "Yeah, real easy."

Willow realized her mistake and hastily backtracked. "I-I mean, you don't seem too shy."  _Nice save, Will._

Buffy nodded, accepting this. "Well, my philosophy- do you wanna hear my philosophy?"

Willow nodded enthusiastically- clearly, she looked up to Buffy as what she wished she could be. "Yeah, I do!"

Buffy nodded. "Life is short."

That didn't sound very philosophical. Rachel understood why Willow frowned confusedly at Buffy. "Life is short?"

Buffy shrugged and turned to face the bar. "Not original, I'll grant you, but it's true. You know? Why waste time being all shy and worrying about some guy and if he's gonna laugh at you? Seize the moment, cause tomorrow you might be dead." Rachel smiled grimly- for her and Buffy that was particularly true.

Willow smiled. "Oh, that's nice." But Buffy was ignoring her, looking up at the loft. Rachel followed her gaze to see a familiar tweed-clad figure leaning against the landing.

"I'll be damned."

Willow frowned at Rachel. "What?"

But Buffy interrupted before Rachel could answer. "Um, I'll be back in a minute." She got up to go, and Rachel stood up behind her.

"Me too." Then, she followed Buffy, tapping her shoulder.

The other girl rounded on her angrily. "What are you  _doing?_ I said I wanted to be left alone!"

Rachel held up her hands disarmingly (anyone who really knew her wouldn't have believed it for an instant). "Apart from following you? Doing my job, and I'm kind of curious to see what my uncle is doing here."

Buffy looked Rachel up and down, searching for a resemblance. "You two look nothing alike."

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, we get that a lot. I've lived with him since I was two. Taught me most of what I know about supernatural creepy-crawlies. He might be boring, and he does get annoying at times, but he's there for me when I need him."

Buffy nodded, accepting Rachel's explanation. Then, the two of them walked up the stairs, coming to stand on either side of him. He jumped in surprise.

Buffy looked at the crowded dance floor below them. "So, you like to party with the students. Isn't that kind of skanky?"

Rachel put it more directly. "Giles, what  _the hell_ are you doing here?"

Giles merely shot a questioning glance at Rachel and scoffed at Buffy's comment. "Oh, right, this is me having fun. Watching… clown hair prance about is hardly my idea of a party. I'd much rather be at home with a cup of Bovril and a good book. "

Buffy grimaced in horror. "You need a personality, stat!"

Rachel nodded. "Gotta agree with ya there, Buffy. If he was any older, I'd cart him off to the Smithsonian and put him in their fossil collection."

Oddly enough, Rachel found she enjoyed being up here watching the crowd. Nobody down there would know she was up here unless she wanted them to. She was hidden. Beside her, Giles sighed slightly and pointed to the crowd below. "This is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity. It's dark, it's crowded… Besides, I knew you were likely to show up, Buffy, although I don't know why Rachel's here. I have to make you understand-"

Then, Buffy interrupted with something that threw both Rachel and Giles for a loop. "That the Harvest is coming. I know, your friend told me."

Giles froze, looking directly at Buffy. "What did you say?"

Buffy shrugged. "The Harvest. That mean something to you? 'Cause I'm drawing a blank."

Giles fiddled with his glasses nervously, and Rachel immediately knew that whatever this Harvest was, it was probably bad. "I'm not sure. Uh… w-who told you this?"

Buffy's mouth hardened and her eyes softened. "This… guy. Dark, gorgeous in an annoying sort of way. I figured you three were buds. Is he Rachel's boyfriend or something? He seemed like her type." Rachel was glad the darkness hid her blush. With her trim frame, chin-length black hair, strong features, and crystal grey eyes, she wasn't exactly traditionally beautiful, and the long white scar on her jaw pretty much sealed her public image as a modern-day Amazon. But still, she hated it when someone thought she was going out with Xander, or assumed that just because she knew a guy she was dating him.

Giles shook his head uneasily. "No. The Harvest. Did he say anything else?"

Buffy shrugged, scowling. "Something about the Mouth of Hell. I  _really_ didn't like him!" Rachel grimaced- in her experience, anything pertaining to hell was bad. Then, she chuckled low in her throat. Somehow, Buffy's story reminded her of a Jane Austen novel.

Giles shook his head as he looked at the teeming crowd. "Look at them, throwing themselves about, completely unaware of the danger that surrounded them."

Buffy cocked her head, smiling humorlessly. "Lucky them."

Then, Giles shrugged and began his assault on Buffy's indifference. "Or perhaps you're right. Perhaps there is no trouble coming; the signs could be wrong. It's not as though you've been having the nightmares."

Buffy's face paled, but she was silent. Then, the words poured out of her in an indignant outburst. "I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire. It's not like I have all these fluffy-bunny feelings for them, I'm just not gonna get way extracurricular with it. You know, if I see one, sure I'll-"

Giles turned to her, voice sharp and infused with that rich tenor of teacher-y authority. "Will you be ready? There's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers. Rachel's been slaying for eleven years, she can tell you. A vampire appears to be completely normal until the feed is upon them, only then do they reveal their true demonic visage."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You're like a textbooks with arms, Rupert. I'm pretty sure she knows that."

Giles closed his eyes for a moment before answering. "The point is, a Slayer should be able to see them anyway. Without looking, without thinking. Can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building. Rachel might be able to, but you should."

Buffy frowned, looking over the crowd. "Maybe…"

Giles looked at Buffy earnestly. "You should know. Even through this mass and this… din, you should be able to sense them. Well, try! Reach out with your mind." Buffy looked around intently. "You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you, until you, you feel every particle of-of-"

Suddenly, Buffy pointed downwards. "There's one."

Giles jumped; surprised that she'd been able to identify a vamp so quickly. "W-where?"

"Right there, talking to that girl." Rachel followed Buffy's finger to see a guy in a hideous black-and-red 1970s jacket. It appeared that Buffy had used Rachel's time-honored method of vampire identification: look for incredibly out-of-date clothing. That was a pretty good giveaway (along with the way the vampire was eyeing the girl's neck.)

Giles seemed pretty shocked. "You don't know-"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Uncle, I identify vampires this way all the time! Look at his jacket. He's got the sleeves rolled up, and the shirt! Deal with that outfit for a moment! It's worse than yours."

Giles frowned. "It's dated?" Rachel constantly tried to get Giles to wear jeans (so much more comfortable), but the guy just wouldn't get rid of his tweed.

Buffy nodded with surety only a high school girl could pull off. "It's carbon dated. Trust me, only someone living underground for ten years would think that was still the look."

Giles still looked kind of hurt. "But you didn't… hone."

Then, Rachel noticed exactly whom the vamp was talking to. "Oh,  _crap."_

Giles started, eyes widening in horror. "Isn't that-"

Buffy nodded grimly. "Willow."

Giles looked shocked- as far as he knew Willow never did this sort of thing. "What's she doing?"

Buffy grimaced. "Seizing the moment!" She and Rachel started down the stairs to rescue Willow. Rachel saw Willow as the baby sister she'd never had. If the vamp hurt one hair on her head, then Rachel was going to  _end_ him.

By the time they'd arrived on the main floor, Willow and the vampire had left. Buffy and Rachel made for the back, thinking that the vampire would have tried for a stealthy exit. As they walked, Rachel noticed Buffy searching her pockets. "What are you looking for?"

"Stake."

Rachel sighed. "Good thing I always carry a pair. And before you ask, yes, I'm coming along. Willow's my best friend. I'm  _not_ leaving her." She handed Buffy a stake, and Buffy tucked it into the waistband of her jeans.

Buffy nodded. "Look, Rachel, I'm fine with working with you. You seem to know what you're doing. I'm not trying to horn in on your territory or anything."

Rachel nodded. "All right. It's just… it's my uncle's job to train you, you know? And for most of my life it's been him working with me. I don't want to lose that. Now come on. We've got a vampire to slay." The two girls left the club and crept along the alleyway behind the Bronze. Rachel's dark leather jacket and black jeans served her quite well as she blended into the shadows.

Then, they saw a figure leave through a side door. Rachel and Buffy didn't think so much as react. Rachel had her squirt gun out and ready, and Buffy grabbed the figure's throat and pushed them up against the wall. Then, they recognized the figure- it was Cordelia. Buffy yelped in surprise. "Cordelia!" She let go.

Cordelia massaged her neck, looking at Buffy and Rachel like she was mad. Rachel slowly lowered her squirt gun. Pity. "God! What are your childhood traumas?"

Rachel shrugged casually. "Mom died when I was two." Buffy's jaw dropped at the casual way Rachel said this, as if she was merely announcing the weather. Just then, Cordelia's minions appeared in the restroom doorway.

Buffy turned to them. "Have you guys seen Willow? Did she come by here?"

Cordelia looked at the two vampire hunters exasperatedly. "Why? Do you need to attack her with the stick and water pistol? Jeez!"

Rachel smirked. "Oh, you have no idea how much I want to attack  _you._ " Then, she stalked off with Buffy, cursing under her breath. Willow could be dying. They didn't have time to waste with Cordelia.

Giles met them back on the dance floor. "That  _was_ quick. Well done, you two! I-I need to go to the library. This Harvest thing…" His face fell as he noticed the thunderous expression on Rachel's face.

Rachel kicked a nearby chair. "We couldn't find any trace of them!"

Giles realized Buffy was probably a safer bet and grabbed her arm. "The vampire is not dead?"

Buffy glared up at him. "No, but my social life is on the critical list."

Rachel scoffed. "Buffy, if you think hanging out with Cordelia is the be-all and end-all of Sunnydale life, then you're wrong. She's a bitch. A mean-spirited, shallow, superficial bitch. She'll betray you soon as look at you. So, vampire. What do we do?"

Buffy's mouth hardened into a determined line. "We'll take care of it."

Rachel nodded. "And you don't need to come, Uncle Giles. We've got this under control. The vamps think half a Slayer is bad? They should meet one and a half."

XXX

Outside the Bronze, they ran into Xander. Rachel almost doused him with her squirt gun before she recognized his voice. "Hey, you guys are leaving already?"

Buffy jumped slightly before turning to face Xander. "Oh, Xander! Have you seen Willow?"

Xander shrugged. "Not tonight, no." His breath created little clouds of condensation in the night air.

Rachel elaborated. "She left with a guy."

This surprised Xander, and his jaw dropped. "We're talking about Willow, right?" Then he started nodding and smiling. "Scorin' at the Bronze, work it, girl-"

Buffy interrupted. "No, I need to find her. Where would he take her?"

Xander didn't notice the serious tone of voice and kept joking around. "Why? Oh, hey, I hope he's not a vampire, because then you two might have to slay him." Rachel's head spun. How had he found out? How had Xander Harris, a completely normal human boy, found out?

Buffy gasped in exasperation and anger. "Was there a-a school bulletin? Was it i-in the newspaper? Is there  _anyone_ in this town who doesn't know I'm the Slayer?"

Xander shook his head, completely missing the signs that Buffy was supremely pissed off. "No. I only know that you  _think_ you're the Slayer, and that Rachel's a sort-of Slayer, and the reason why I know that-"

Rachel growled in frustration. "Harris, as much as I would  _love_ to find out how the hell you know we hunt vampires,  _now is not the time_! Where would Willow go?"

Comprehension finally dawned on Xander, and his eyes widened. "You're serious!"

Rachel nodded, checking to see that her stake was sharp. "We don't find her, there's going to be one more dead body in the morning. We're going to go check the cemetery. Vampire central around there."

XXX

In the dark, the cemetery was an odd mix of beautiful and terrifying. The moonlight bathed the tombstones, making the marble glow palely. The trees and fencing cast eerie shadows over the whole place. An imposing grey mausoleum dominated the center. Rachel knew the place well. She started her patrols here, and she'd installed motion detectors over any new graves. If vampires rose from here, she'd have warning. She watched and listened like a hawk, eyes flicking from side to side warily.

Suddenly, a girl's scream split the night air.  _Willow._ They all sprinted towards the mausoleum, and Rachel pulled her stake out of her sleeve. She was grimly aware that in a situation like this, seconds could make a difference.

Luckily, the mausoleum was unlocked. It was quite the dreary place, with a grey vault in the center and iron doors in the back. Rachel wasn't surprised to see 70s Vampire Boy, but she was quite surprised to see a blonde vampire in a black sweater and pleated skirt who would have probably been quite pretty with her features smoothed over. Then, she noticed Willow supporting a woozy Jesse. Jesse appeared to have two fang marks on the side of his neck.

Buffy walked into the center of the room, running her hand along the edge of the coffin. She critiqued the room mockingly, imitating an interior decorator on some TV show. "Well, this is nice. I-it's a little bare, but a dash of paint, a few throw pillows… call it home!" She moved behind the coffin, drawing the vampires away from the others.

Rachel nodded approvingly. Not only was Buffy strong and sassy, but she also had sound tactical instincts. "Course, the location leaves something to be desired- not exactly prime real estate. Must be a stone bitch to get utilities out here…" She walked to stand with Buffy, carefully concealing her stake. Thank God she'd gone through a magician phase in fifth grade. She didn't know any card tricks, but she was still good at palming things.

The female snarled. "Who the hell are you two?"

Buffy smiled in mock relief. "You mean there's actually someone in this town who doesn't know already? Whew, that's a relief, I'm telling you! Having a secret identity in this town is a job of work."

Xander's eyes widened fearfully as he looked from vampire to vampire. "Buffy, Rachel, we bail now, right?"

The male vampire snarled at Xander, who backed up towards the wall. "Not yet!"

Buffy turned on the male. "Okay, first of all, what's with the outfit? Live in the now, okay? You look like DeBarge!"

The vampires closed in on them, and Rachel turned to the female, smirking. "Now, we can do this the hard way, or… well, actually there's just the hard way. Sorry to disappoint."

The female growled at Rachel in an attempt to intimidate her. "That's fine with me!"

Buffy looked at the female with mock concern on her face. "Are you sure? This is not gonna be pretty. We're talking violence, strong language, adult content…"

The male roared behind Buffy, and she pulled the stake out from inside her shirt. He tried to attack her from behind, but Buffy neatly jammed the stake into his chest. Rachel ran at the female, jumping, turning, and snapping a flying kick into the female's face. She misjudged her landing and rolled, coming to a combat stance. The female ended up between Buffy and Rachel, looking at them as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

Buffy looked at the female innocently. "See what happens when you roughhouse?"

The female bared her teeth, and Rachel matched. There was just something about being in a fight that brought out a certain feral quality in Rachel. She kind of enjoyed it. "He was young and stupid!"

Rachel's head snapped around, and she barked an order at Xander. "Xander, go!"

The female called mockingly. "Don't go far!"

Rachel's face contorted into a scowl. "Shut  _up."_ She ran at the female again, tackling her and twisting her arm up behind her back. The female retaliated by headbutting Rachel, and she stumbled back slightly. Then, the female punched high at Buffy, but the other girl blocked easily. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel noticed Xander and Willow carrying Jesse out. She had no time to think of them. She had to fight.

In an attempt to distract the female vampire, Rachel backhanded her. She stumbled forwards, and then struck back to try to punch Rachel in the face. Neatly, Rachel stepped out of the way, and Buffy snap-kicked the vampire in the stomach. The female doubled over in pain, and Rachel slammed her elbow into her back. Then, the female reached up and flipped Rachel to the floor.

Rachel didn't think so much as react. She bent her legs, splayed her hands next to her head, and snapped both legs out to kick the vampire in the stomach. She flew backward, hit the wall, and sank to the floor, winded.

Buffy walked towards the female. "You know, I just wanted to start over. Be like everybody else. Have some friends, y'know, maybe a dog… But, no, you had to come here, you couldn't go suck on some other town. "

The female looked up at Buffy and Rachel, and a trace of fear crossed her face. "Who are you?"

Buffy laughed incredulously. "Don't you know?"

Then, suddenly, a hand like a steel clamp seized the back of Rachel's neck. She clawed and kicked at the unknown assailant, but to no avail. It was like she was trying to fight a tree trunk. A low, gravelly voice sounded in her ear. "I don't care!"

Then, she was flying through the air, trying to curl herself into a ball and hit her landing properly. But she couldn't, and the collision with the stone walls of the mausoleum knocked the wind out of her. She saw Buffy hit the floor beside her.

Rachel got a good look at her opponent. He was probably the biggest vampire she'd ever seen, with disgustingly craggy features, clad in a black T-shirt and jeans. The vampire grabbed the female and lifted her to her feet. "You were supposed to be bringing an offering for the Master! We're almost at Harvest, and you dally with these children!"

The female gasped fearfully. "We had someone, but then they came. They killed Thomas. Luke, they're strong." Rachel took the opportunity to attack Luke. She sprung upright and twisted into a snap-kick, but a heavy fist backhanded her and sent her flying. Her head hit the wall, and she was out like a light.

Xxx

Buffy's POV

For someone who wasn't a Slayer, Rachel Giles was one hell of a fighter. The eerie girl seemed nice- until you listened to her talk. Everything about her oozed danger, from the confident, guarded way she held herself to her acerbic wit to the thin scar snaking along her jaw. If they'd been two ordinary high schoolers, then they'd probably be good friends.

So Buffy's heart tightened a little when Luke backhanded Rachel and stalked towards her, preparing to drain her blood. In an imitation of Rachel's earlier move, Buffy ran towards the coffin, set her hands against it, and pushed off to slam her foot into Luke's neck. She managed to distract him, and Luke turned towards her, attacking her with a double punch. She let her instincts take over and blocked the punch, wincing slightly as the shock echoed through her arms. Then, she punched Luke in the stomach and snap-kicked him in the jaw.

Luke stepped back slightly, not looking fazed at all. "You two are strong." Then, a fist like a battering ram hit her, and she went flying. "I'm stronger! You're wasting my time."

Buffy backed away up the stairs, away from Rachel. "Hey, I had other plans too, okay?"

Luke didn't respond, only shoved the heavy lid off the coffin and towards her. Now, Buffy was really glad she'd been a cheerleader before she'd begun to hunt vampires. She cartwheeled onto and over the lid to avoid it, kicking Luke in the chest with both feet and knocking them down. She noticed a stake near her feet and grabbed it, lunging at Luke.

Luke, it seemed, was every bit as fast as Rachel. He grabbed her wrist, holding her in place. "You think you can stop me? Stop us?" With his other hand, he shattered the stake. Then he grabbed her shirt, lifting her and getting in her face. Some tiny part of Buffy's mind realized that this guy  _really_ needed some breath mints. "You have no idea what you're dealing with." He tossed Buffy onto the rim of the open coffin. Pain knifed through her, and she fell to the floor, dazed. She saw Luke coming towards her, quoting scripture as he advanced. Fear coursed through her as she realized that her chances of surviving this encounter weren't very good. "And like a plague of boils, the race of man covered the Earth. But on the third day of the newest light would come the Harvest. And the blood of men will flow as wine. When the Master will walk among them once more. The Earth will belong to the old ones." By now, he was in her face. "And Hell itself will come to town." He grabbed Buffy and growled, lifting her by the throat and throwing her towards the coffin. Buffy flipped into a front layout and landed in the coffin. She turned her head, and found herself looking into the eye sockets of a skeleton. She couldn't see Luke, so she slowly started to get up, only to fall back as Luke jumped into the coffin.

"Amen!"

He moved in to bite Buffy…


	4. Episode 2: The Harvest Part 1: Revelations

Buffy's POV

Luke leaned in to bite Buffy, and pure, raw fear filled her veins. She knew she was about to die, knew it. She, Rachel, Willow, Xander, and Jesse were all about to die. They'd die, and only Rachel's family would ever know what had really happened to her.

Then, Luke drew back, hissing in pain, his skin steaming. Buffy looked down at her neck to see the silver cross Tall-Dark-and-Annoying had given her outside the Bronze. Belatedly, she remembered- vampires didn't like crosses. She took the opportunity to draw her legs together and drive her feet into Luke's stomach. He flew out of the coffin, and she sprinted over to Rachel, dragging her outside.

Once outside, she slapped at Rachel's cheeks, yelling for her to wake up.

Rachel's POV

Oh, God. Her head hurt so badly. That Luke guy really packed a wallop.

"Rachel! Wake up!" She blinked blearily, and her vision gradually came into focus as she noticed Buffy leaning over her, concern in her eyes. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Rachel pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Four. Nice work, by the way."

Buffy nodded. "Same here, I guess. Luke's still in there. Let's go find the others." She helped Rachel stand up, handing her a stake. "You okay? We really should get you to a doctor- you might have a concussion."

Rachel glared at Buffy. "You really think this Master guy is gonna wait on my concussion to heal before bringing about the apocalypse? Assuming we're still alive, I can get treatment after the apocalypse." Buffy looked like she wanted to argue, but decided otherwise once she saw Rachel's mutinous expression. Just then, they heard a vampire roar and a girl scream. Rachel transferred her stake to her left hand and followed Buffy.

They found Willow on the ground, about to be bitten. She was flailing from side to side, trying to fend off the vampire with her hands, bits of grass stuck in her hair. "No! Get off!"

Buffy yelled at Willow's attacker. "Hey!" The vampire looked up, and Buffy snap kicked him off Willow. He ran off, and Rachel flipped the stake in her hand and threw it, nailing the vampire between the shoulder blades. He screamed and disintegrated. Rachel picked up the stake, daintily blowing off the tip. Willow looked most extremely shocked, but Buffy and Rachel were already moving, and she scrambled after them.

As they walked, Buffy asked Rachel, "Why'd you do that?"

Rachel's jaw set defiantly. "I've got one rule when it comes to vampires: no mercy. They may be running away. I'll still kill them." Then, she caught sight of Xander getting dragged away by two vampires.

Willow ran between two gravestones. "Xander!" The vampires were momentarily distracted, and Buffy and Rachel struck like twin thunderbolts. Buffy punched one, and Rachel tackled the other like a Sherman tank, driving her stake into him. Buffy's vampire tried to get up, but Buffy broke a dry branch off a nearby tree and drove it into him.

Willow rushed over to Xander, who was still on the ground. "Xander, are you okay?"

Xander got up, shaking his head. "Man, something hit me."

Rachel snorted. "Ya think?"

Buffy looked around, realizing that someone was missing. "Where's Jesse?"

Willow's eyes widened in shock. "I don't know! They surrounded us."

Xander rubbed the back of his neck. "That girl grabbed him and took off."

Rachel looked at the ground, trying to find footprints, drag marks, anything. "Which way?"

Xander shrugged. "I don't know."

Buffy stood up straight, slowly scanning the cemetery. "Jesse," she whispered.

XXX

The next morning, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Rachel, and Giles were all gathered in the library. Giles had insisted on examining Rachel for signs of a concussion, and everyone had sighed in relief upon finding none. He still made Rachel put an ice pack on her head, something that displeased her greatly.

The globe on the stack level was spinning, and Giles stopped it as he began to lecture Willow and Xander on the world they'd stepped into. "This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular belief, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their… their hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for, for man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures."

Buffy nodded from her spot on top of the study table. "And vampires."

Xander held up a hand for silence. "Okay, this is where I have a problem. See, because we're talking about vampires. We're having a talk with vampires in it."

Rachel looked at Xander, considering him. "You know what you saw last night. When you eliminate the impossible, what remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Vampires exist, Xander. Get used to it."

Buffy nodded, affecting disbelief. "No. No, th-those weren't vampires, those were just guys in thundering need of a facial. Or maybe they had rabies. It could have been rabies. A-and that guy turning to dust? Just a trick of the light!" Xander gave her a look, and she reverted to her normal matter-of-fact delivery. "That's exactly what I said the first time I saw a vampire. Well, after I was done with the screaming part. Rachel?"

Rachel nodded carefully, trying not to dislodge the ice pack. "First time I saw a vampire, I thought they were dressing up or playing."

Willow spoke up faintly from beside them. "Oh, I-I need to sit down." Willow was looking a bit green around the gills. Rachel had made her a cup of tea (best remedy she knew for shock), but Willow hadn't touched it. So Rachel laid a comforting hand on Willow's shoulder.

"Easy, Will-bear. You are sitting down."

"Oh. Good for me."

Much to Rachel's surprise, it was Xander who got them back on topic. "So vampires are demons?"

Giles shook his head, running his hand over the table edge. "The books tell the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed, infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding… Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out and the old ones to return. So, the ancients combined their strengths and created a Slayer."

Xander frowned in confusion. "And that would be a what?"

Giles nodded. "For as long as there have been vampires, there's been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Rupert, I'm pretty sure they aren't interested in that. If we could summarize?"

Giles shot Rachel a look before continuing. "Alright. The Slayer hunts vampires, Buffy is a Slayer, don't tell anyone. Well, I think that's all the vampire information you need."

Willow raised her hand shyly. "If Buffy's the Slayer, then why does Rachel hunt vampires?"

Rachel sighed. "Giles is the Watcher, meaning that it's his job to teach the Slayer and keep her safe. I've been living with him since I was two. I found out when I was five."

Giles laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Asked me what a vampire was as I was taking her home from playgroup. I figured that she would find out on her own anyway, so I decided to start teaching her."

Rachel shrugged, remembering. "Other girls took ballet lessons, I took martial arts. I consider myself half a Slayer. I have the skill and the speed, but I'm not as strong or resilient as Buffy."

Xander looked up. "How do you kill them?"

Rachel glared at Xander. "You don't kill them. Buffy and I do."

Xander looked at Rachel indignantly. "Well, Jesse's my-"

Buffy cut Xander off with a no-nonsense tone of voice. "Jesse is our responsibility. We let him get taken."

Xander shook his head. "That's not true."

A pale-faced Willow nodded shakily, speaking up from her spot at the table. "If you hadn't shown up they would have taken us, too. Does anyone mind if I pass out?"

Rachel knelt in front of Willow, holding Willow's face so the other girl looked her in the eye. "Breathe, Willow. We've gone over this, remember?"

Willow nodded jerkily. "Breathe." Poor Willow. This was probably the hardest experience of her life.

Then, to Rachel's surprise, Buffy placed a supportive hand on Willow's shoulder. "Breathe." Once again, Rachel was shocked by Buffy's big-heartedness. She'd known Willow less than 24 hours, and she was already trying to help her. Then, Buffy turned to Giles and the moment vanished. "This big guy, Luke. He talked about an offering to the Master. Now, I don't know what or who, but if they weren't just feeding then Jesse may still be alive. I'm going to go find him. Rachel, you up for it?"

Rachel shot Buffy a look, complete with raised eyebrow. "Is that even a question? Of course I will."

Willow piped up again. "Uh, this may be the dumb question, but shouldn't we call the police?"

Giles shot Willow a look identical to the one Rachel had just given Buffy. "And they'd believe us, of course. OW!" Rachel had just stepped on his foot.

Willow looked at Giles, all full of wide-eyed innocence. Rachel felt a flush of sorrow- that innocence would vanish soon enough. She and Buffy had dragged Rachel into a very scary world, where innocence could easily get you killed. "Well, we don't have to say vampires. We, we could just say that there's a, a bad man."

Rachel shook her head. "We'd be sending them into a trap. Bullets won't do anything to vampires except piss them off."

Giles looked at Rachel intensely. "You have no idea where they took Jesse?"

Buffy shook her head, clearly annoyed. "I looked around, but as soon as they got clear of the graveyard, they could have just, voom!"

Xander's eyes widened in shock and fear. "They can fly?"

Rachel shot him a look, silently telling him not to be ridiculous. "They can drive."

Willow frowned perplexedly. "I don't remember hearing a car."

Giles looked at them, his brow furrowed in thought. "Let's take an enormous intuitive leap, shall we, and say they went underground."

Rachel's head whipped around to look at Giles. "Of course! Vampires love the sewers. They can get anywhere in town without seeing the light of day."

Buffy frowned at Rachel, confused. "But I didn't see any access around there."

Xander and Rachel answered at the same time. "Electrical tunnel." Rachel dearly wanted to find whoever had designed Sunnydale's sewer systems and give them a good kicking. The town was so riddled with tunnels that on some nights, she felt like she was playing Whack-a-Mole.

Buffy looked at Xander and Rachel curiously. "What?"

Xander turned to Buffy and explained. "There's an electrical tunnel that runs under the whole town."

Giles nodded, gnawing on the inside of his cheek contemplatively. "If we had a diagnostic of the tunnel system, it might indicate a, a meeting place, it would, uh… I suppose we could go to the building commission."

Buffy huffed angrily. "We so don't have time."

Just then, they all turned around as Willow piped up. While they were talking, she'd moved herself over to the computer and booted it up. "Uh, guys? There may be another way." Rachel smiled. The vampires were about to discover what a determined computer genius could do.

A few minutes later, Willow had the city plans pulled up on the monitor. Giles, Rachel, Buffy, and Xander crowded around her. Rachel whistled enviously. If she'd had those plans when she'd first started slaying, her life would have been so much easier. She wouldn't have had to always be on the defensive. She would have been able to plan ambushes and attack. But she hadn't wanted to bring her friends into her life, hadn't wanted to put them in danger. She laughed silently. And that had turned out so well.

Buffy scanned the plans intently. Suddenly, her hand shot out to point at something. "There."

Willow tapped her keyboard. Rachel didn't understand what Willow was doing- she could pass computer science class and use a computer for basic stuff, but she wasn't a tech genius like Willow. "That runs under the graveyard."

Xander peered at the screen. "I don't see any access."

Giles stood off at a distance, at a loss for how to help. Her uncle hated computers like the plague. The only reason they had one in the house was so that Rachel could access articles for her homework. "So, all the city plans are just, uh, open to the public?" For such a smart guy, Giles could be incredibly naïve at times- Rachel was pretty sure that kind of thing wasn't just open to the average person.

Willow looked around a little before answering sheepishly. "Um, well, i-in a way. I sort of stumbled onto them when I accidentally decrypted the city council's security system."

Rachel laughed. "Oh, you evil genius. You evil, malicious, incredible genius. I take my hat off to you and your computer wizardry."

Buffy threw up her hands in exasperation, walking away from the table. "There's nothing here, this is useless!" Rachel kept looking over Willow's shoulder as she sifted through the morass of data. She knew that if anyone could find something meaningful in that, Willow Rosenberg could. Some people were dog whisperers, others were horse whisperers. Willow was a computer whisperer.

Giles started towards Buffy in an attempt to calm her down. "I think you're being a bit hard on yourself." Rachel could have told Giles that it wasn't worth it, Most teenagers had a seemingly endless capacity for self-recrimination, and Buffy, it appeared, was no exception.

Throwing up her hands, Buffy rounded on Giles and laughed humorlessly. "You're the one that told me I wasn't prepared enough. Understatement!" She exhaled hard, and the anger seeped out of her. "I thought I was on top of everything, and then that monster, Luke, came out of nowhere…" Rachel shivered, remembering the way Luke had grabbed her. She'd definitely have a big bruise on her neck- it would be turtlenecks and scarves for the next few days. If it hadn't been for Buffy, Rachel would have died…

Then, she noticed Buffy trailing off. "What?"

Buffy nodded slowly as she spoke, comprehension spreading across her face. "He didn't come out of nowhere. He came from behind us. We were facing the entrance, he came from behind us, and he didn't follow us out."

Rachel facepalmed as she realized what Buffy was getting at. "The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum! The female must have doubled back with Jesse after we got out! God! Now I really feel dumb."

Xander nodded excitedly. "So, what's the plan? We saddle up, right?"

Rachel nodded, running her finger over the tip of her stake to make sure it was sharp. "Yeah, we saddle up. Buffy and I saddle up. I'm experienced. Buffy's the Slayer. You're not."

Xander sighed. "I knew you'd throw that back in my face. I'll be fine!"

Buffy slid off the table to stand in front of Xander. "Xander, this is deeply dangerous."

Xander threw up his hands and slouched into the chair, shrugging resignedly. "I'm inadequate. That's fine. I'm less than a man." Rachel rolled her eyes. There was steel to Xander. It was just very raw, low-quality steel that hadn't been tempered yet. Given some training, he'd probably turn out all right.

Willow looked up from the computer, speaking hesitantly. "Buffy, Rachel, I'm not anxious to go into a dark place full of monsters. But I do want to help. I need to." In Willow, the steel was truer. It was only when Willow was at a computer that one noticed it.

Giles smiled at Willow encouragingly, grabbing several books. "Well, then help me. I've been researching this Harvest affair. It seems to be some sort of preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell on Earth, quite charming. I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine. Rachel tells me you're quite proficient."

Everyone stared at him, and Rachel stifled a chuckle. Only her uncle would describe an apocalypse as charming.

Giles looked up at them bashfully, adjusting his glasses. "That was a bit, um, British, wasn't it?"

Rachel smiled. "Welcome to the New World."

Giles turned to Willow, who was still sitting at the computer, looking strangely at Giles. "I want you to go on the 'Net." Rachel's jaw dropped. She was pretty sure that in some obscure edition of the Bible, her uncle telling someone to go online counted as a sign of the apocalypse.

Willow nodded in relief, clearly glad to be making herself useful. "Oh, sure, I can do that." Her fingers flew as she typed.

Rachel discarded the ice pack, pulled on her leather jacket on over her red blouse, and grabbed her bag. "Then Buffy and I are out of here. If Jesse's alive, then we will bring him back."

Giles stopped them just before they left. "Do I have to tell you two to be careful?" Rachel tried to keep her impatience down. She was practically his daughter, and he wanted to keep her safe. But Rachel had been slaying since her tenth birthday, and she'd trained since she was five. She knew what she was doing. So she just shot Giles a look that spoke volumes. Really? Then, she and Buffy strode out of the library, women on a mission.

XXX

Rachel led Buffy to the side gate she usually used as an exit when she had to sneak out of school. Sometimes, she ran up against critters who didn't mind the daylight, and those critters didn't really respect little formalities like school schedules. She really hated it when those critters popped up, because civilians who knew nothing about Rachel's world and were better off that way always noticed. She couldn't count the number of times she'd had to explain away some monster or spirit as swamp gas-induced hallucinations. And then there had been that werewolf everyone had mistaken for a wild dog… As much as Giles hated it, Rachel sometimes had to cut classes in order to kill a baddie. He hemmed and hawed about it, but he would help her stay out of detention on days with supernatural significance.

Unfortunately, as Rachel swung open the gate, Principal Flutie noticed and hurried over, doing his level best to seem threatening. "And where do we think we're going?"

Rachel turned and eyed him with mock innocence. "Is there a problem, Principal?"

Buffy jumped, a little more flustered than Rachel. "We?" She turned to face Flutie. "I… me… she…" Was she going to go and recite all the object pronouns next or something?"

The portly principal crossed his arms before continuing. "We're not leaving school grounds, are we?"

Rachel elbowed Buffy, who jumped and tried to slap together an answer. "No! No, I'm… just admiring the fence. You know, this is quality fence work." Okay, Rachel was going to have to instruct Buffy in the fine art of Slayer BS-ing.

It had evidently been a rhetorical question, because Flutie ignored Buffy's answer. "Because if we were leaving school grounds on our second day at a new school, after getting kicked out of our old school for delinquent behavior, or being the record holder for detentions… do you see where I'm going with this?" Wait, Buffy had gotten kicked out of her old school? Maybe the Slayer might have a troublemaker streak in her after all.

Buffy's words fell out of her. "Mr. Giles…"

Flutie frowned, evidently confused by the apparent non sequitur. "What?"

Buffy frantically tried to build an excuse. "He asked Rachel and I to get a book for him. Uh, from the store, 'cause we have a free period, and I'm a big reader. Did it mention that in my transcripts?" Judging by the way Buffy had eyed those books earlier, she was no more a reader than Rachel was a cheerleader.

Flutie scowled contemplatively. "Mr. Giles?"

Rachel nodded. "My uncle. You can go ask him if you want." She really hoped Flutie would do just that, because then she and Buffy could go and save Jesse. If Flutie didn't clear out, and soon, she might clock him. Even if she did get expelled. She was pretty sure they did that if you knocked out a principal.

Flutie swung the gate closed. "Well, maybe that's how they do things in Britain," (he cast Rachel an odd look), "they've got that royal family and all kinds of problems." He padlocked the gate shut. "But here at Sunnydale nobody leaves campus while school's in session. Are we clear?"

Rachel nodded, trying to keep the impatience seething within her out of her movements. "Clear."

Buffy nodded beside her. "We're clear."

Flutie smiled and moved to clap Rachel on the shoulder, jumping as she grabbed his wrist. She didn't really do unnecessary touching. "That's the Buffy Summers and Rachel Giles I want in my school. Sensible girls with their feet on the ground and their noses clean!" He walked off.

As soon as he was gone, Buffy crouched and leapt over the 6-foot fence. Wow.

Rachel cocked her head, scrutinizing the wall. She noticed a tree nearby, a sturdy specimen with nice thick branches hanging over the wall. They looked like they'd support her weight. She grabbed the lowest branch, kicking one foot into a little notch in the trunk, and then using the leverage to swing herself onto the branch. Moving like a squirrel, she climbed higher and higher, inching over the wall until she found herself hanging from a branch over the lawn edging the sidewalk. Angling her head downward, she called to Buffy. "I'm going to let myself fall now. Think you can catch me?" Buffy nodded and moved below her, and Rachel let her fingers uncurl from around the branch. She fell, landing on top of Buffy and knocking both girls to the ground. Rachel stood up, shaking out all the joints and patting herself down. Nothing broken, no sprains, everything working as it should.

Sliding a stake up her sleeve, she turned to Buffy. "What do you say we go slay some vampires?"

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't bite- please leave comments!


End file.
